NEW JAPAN FOCUS: The Emergence of Juice Robinson – Where he came from, what’s working for him lately, and where he could go from here

Go ahead, you can call him whatever you want. You can call him Joe, CJP, C.J. Parker, Juice, but one name that you must call him is “Champion.” Joe Robinson (known as “Juice Robinson” by the New Japan faithful) most certainly took the road less traveled on his way to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Most wrestling fans out there would consider WWE the zenith of professional wrestling, not as a transitional company. Juice, however, was introduced to the public under the name “C.J. Parker” in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) which eventually became NXT. While under the name “C.J. Parker” in NXT, Juice would work as a “Save The Planet” almost hippie-like character where he made his entrance to the ring holding up signs that would humorously explain ways to make the earth more eco-friendly. Needless to say, Juice was not a big fan of the work he was doing in WWE and decided to make his exit in 2015.

During his time in NXT, Juice became close friends with Matt Bloom who would eventually go on to become the head coach of the WWE Performance Center. Bloom, who had many connections from working in Japan in the past, approached Tiger Hattori, who was attending WrestleMania weekend for WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans, and told him to give Juice a look because of his in-ring skills. For those who may not be aware, Tiger Hattori is one of the head bookers and current referee for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

With a few stops in between, Juice went on to wrestle under the name “CJP” for a few independent promotions including CZW, All Star Wrestling, and International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom before eventually signing a contract with NJPW on Oct. 11, 2015. Just like every professional wrestler, it takes time to adapt to a new environment, especially an environment with fans that are renowned to be relatively quiet and respectful instead of loud and energetic. The time period of 2015-2016 was somewhat of a quiet stage for Juice before tagging with Hiroshi Tanahashi in the 2016 World Tag league gifted him big-time exposure in the eyes of the New Japan crowd.

With more creative freedom in his character and confidence in his eyes, Juice started to catch fire in the ring and with the fans. In 2017 “The Flamboyant One” challenged for the NEVER Openweight Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Championship, and participated in the first ever United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament; being unsuccessful in all four. However, unsuccessful in four championship opportunities, Juice did pick up big victories against the likes of Tetsuya Naito and even the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kenny Omega.

This year, Juice has grown and flourished as a character and a professional wrestler in New Japan Pro Wrestling. His match quality has improved, his methods of generating emotion from the Japanese crowd has been second to none, and his promo skills are passionate and from the heart. Juice was already a favorite amongst the fans, but it has been his most recent rivalry with fellow Young Lion, Jay White, that has propelled him to one of the top babyfaces in the company. Teaming with David Finlay at Dominion 2018 against Yoshi-Hashi and U.S. Heavyweight Champion Jay White, Juice picked up the victory for his team by pinning White after hitting pulp friction. This win earned Juice a title shot at the G1 Special at the Cow Palace in San Francisco on July 7.

During the press conference before the G1 Special, Juice was asked about what he is trying to accomplish in NJPW in which he responded, “I just don’t want people to see sh–ty little developmental C.J. Parker anymore.” On July 7, 2018 Juice Robinson defeated Jay White via rollup to become the new U.S. Heavyweight Champion and the first American to do so. The reaction from the crowd was pure elation which helped reassure Juice that he made it.

It has been a rough start for Juice in the 2018 G1 Climax Tournament losing his first three block matches to potential favorites Tama Tonga, Kota Ibushi, and an incredible match against reigning G1 champion, Tetsuya Naito. Even in a losing effort, Juice still managed to captivate the crowd and impress everyone in the building with his pure wrestling skills. With an already addictive and “Flamboyant” personality, the only way to go for Juice is up.

The best way to utilize Juice is to keep him as a singles competitor and ride his popularity as it is currently growing and can be used during the conquest of international markets. NJPW is currently expanding its popularity into the United States and United Kingdom and, with someone who was a previous WWE talent playing a prominent role in the company, it will surely bring eyes to the product. Hypothetically speaking, if they were to take the title off of Juice and put him in a tag team, then I believe it would have to be with someone who can match his intensity and infectious character traits to be successful.

NJPW is currently ascending to new heights with younger talents such as Kota Ibushi, Hangman Page, Sanada, Jay White, Hiromu Takahashi, and Will Osprey. With all of the diverse talent on the NJPW roster, Juice Robinson is set to have many more memorable feuds and matches in the future propelling him to new heights.